Teaching yoga is a positive way to help others develop their mind-body-spirit connections, as well as your own. Prana yoga focuses on spiritual awakening, and through its practice, participants are also able to revitalize their mind and bodies. Learning to become a prana yoga teacher involves not only physical training but also spiritual evolution.
Prana
The word "prana" is the Sanskrit word for life force or collective energy. It's the energy source flowing through the universe and all living things. Prana is also known as "chi" in Chinese sciences and arts, and it not only describes the common spiritual energy flowing through all. In yoga, prana is applied intelligently to physical existence, explains the "Yoga Journal." According to the ancient Indian holy text "Prasna Upanishad," by physically living prana, one transcends mortality. Incorporating prana into your yoga training and teaching will enhance its positive effects.
Prana Yoga
Prana yoga practice was created to promote the flow of prana throughout the body. It's meant to encourage healing and develop perception, according to Open Center Online Learning. The origin of all yoga practice, such as hatha yoga, is rooted in prana practice, and ancient tantric texts provide directions for building, channeling and regulating life force. Yoga practiced today that reflects true prana practice involves processes of holding poses and breathing through them to melt away any pranic blockages. Prana yoga poses and movements unlock and promote prana flow in various ways so participants feel a sense of relief, balance and completion physically, mentally and spiritually. Training to become a prana yoga teacher incorporates these practices and teaches you to encourage them in others.
Prana Training Programs
Look for a prana yoga teacher training program that covers history, philosophy, anatomy and physiology as well as how to teach postures, meditation and breathing or pranayama, suggests The Yoga Site. You can train at a retreat-type setting to become a prana yoga teacher by enrolling in overseas teacher training courses, such as the Prana Yoga Teacher College at international locations such as Thailand and Canada. Train in various cities across the U.S., such as the New York Open Center in the Prana Yoga Teacher Training program, and also study online via Open Center Online Learning. Many prana yoga training organizations offer certification programs, but check with the health clubs and gyms you're interested in to find out what sort of certification and training they require for yoga teachers.
Yoga Teacher Certification
You or the health facility you work for may require certification for specific "prana" yoga teacher training. But if you don't live in an area that offers so-called prana yoga training, or you're unable to travel for a prana program, you can get certification as an yoga instructor through reputable training organizations in the U.S. such as YogaFit, which is supported by the American Council on Exercise and endorsed by the Yoga Alliance. Most yoga teacher training incorporates elements of prana yoga practice, but different people involved in the yoga fitness industry have different philosophies on what constitutes true prana yoga. YogaFit offers instructor training locally, as well as training in India where you can study to become a registered yoga teacher, says YogaFit. Find other U.S. online and on-site yoga teaching training programs, but ask around about them and check with organizations such as the Yoga Alliance to make sure they are reputable before you invest.
References
- Open Center Online Learning: Introduction to Prana Yoga Teacher Training
- "Yoga Journal": Positively Prana
- Spiritual Writings: Prana: Its History and Nature
- Yoga Site: Yoga Teacher Training
- Prana Yoga Teacher Training College: Information for Students and Prospective Students
- YogaFit: How to Become a Yoga Instructor with a YogaFit Yoga Certification
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